


understood

by akacz



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends), Apologies, F/F, Fluff, Gen, It's Hard and Nobody Understands, Words are hard, Working through feelings, no beta we die like men, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27463714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akacz/pseuds/akacz
Summary: Apologies are hard, and they're even harder when the person you're apologizing to thinks it's not worth getting upset enough to expect an apology for, and then you have to apologize for apologizing so much and oh god how do we stop this vicious cycle.
Relationships: Akali/Evelynn (League of Legends)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 148





	understood

"I'm sorry."

Evelynn glances up from her hand after finishing the last streak of polish on her nail. A thin eyebrow arches slightly when she attempts to make eye contact with the speaker, and fails, because the speaker won't look at her.

Akali stands in the doorway. A too-large windbreaker hangs off her frame. She leans against the white frame of the doorway, eyes still diverted somewhere vaguely in the middle of the floor.

Evelynn waits. Akali doesn't say anything else. Neither does Evelynn.

Akali bites her lip, and the arched brow finally settles back into a stern line.

"What for?" Evelynn asks dismissively. Turning back to her vanity and twisting the cap into to the polish now that she's confirmed nothing needs her full attention, she admires the sleek coat of color she's just applied.

The sound of the windbreaker rustling reaches her ears, and she flicks her gaze up to the mirror in time to catch Akali bite her lip.

Oh.

Placing her hands flat in front of her, she stands up from the vanity with a slight shove of the velvet seat to make sure her feet don't catch on it when she strides over to Akali, long fingers reaching out to lightly grip Akali's chin and make her look at her.

"You have my full attention." Evelynn reaches up with her other hand to tip her glasses down, as if she couldn't see through the clear lenses perfectly fine. She was making a point. 

Akali bit the inside of her cheek before looking up and forcing herself to meet Eve with a steely gaze. "For. Bothering you before. "

"How many times do I have to tell you, I wasn't bothered, darling," Evelynn says, no less firmly but a little more softly. Almost hurt. Maybe if it was anyone but Eve, it would've reached actual hurt.

Despite her contrite expression, Akali rolls her eyes. "Yeah, everyone always tells me to chill out when I'm being super un-annoying and not at all disruptive, and they're totally cool with it." Okay, she was laying the sarcasm on a little thick, but she didn't like remembering being called out on being a nuisance earlier. She also didn't like making apologies. She'd rather just move on. But Ahri had insisted, and for some reason Kai'sa backed her up, that learning how to apologize properly was an important part of their dynamic if they were going to share both working _and_ living spaces together.

They were so annoying when they were right. And they weren't even smug about it, which somehow made it more annoying.

Evelynn looks at her for a moment before breathing out slowly, quietly, deeply. "Come sit with me." Without expecting an answer, she turns, a light hand trailing down Akali's shoulder and arm to meet with her hand, and tugs her to follow. She settles on the bed, and settles Akali against her, arms wrapping around her as she pulls the frowning girl into her lap. 

Reluctantly, but not really, Akali lets her head drop against Evelyn's chest and feels the weight of her chin rest on top of her. It's nice, but it adds to her guilt. She came here to apologize, not to be the one who needs to be comforted.

As if sensing her thoughts, Evelynn reaches up and lightly runs her nails over the side of her head, very gently combing out loose strands.

"I told you it's fine, didn't I." Akali nods against her. "And, I said you didn't have to apologize anymore, didn't I." Another nod. "And you trust me, don't you." One last nod, quicker than the last two. Evelynn smiles against her hair at that. "So why don't you believe me?"

Akali sighs, shrinking in on herself in a very un-kali-like way. Her shoulders are dragged down by the glum weight of her struggle to explain to Evelynn, but she is fortunately given the quiet minute she needs to sort out her thoughts into words the other woman can understand.

"Like I said… I know you said it's okay, but I also know that you would only comment on the fact that I was talking your ear off, if it was worth saying something about. And if it was normal, and fine, people don't comment on things like that. Therefore," she emphasized the word, "you were annoyed. And I should apologize for being annoying."

If she wasn't already sagging half way off Evelynn's lap, she would've deflated even more after finally huffing words out around the need-to-not-be-a-problem blocking her throat. 

Akali hunkers in the silence that follows her explanation. She waits for Evelynn to realize she's right, and that she's annoyed at her, and that Akali's a screw-up, and a mistake, and she knew she was going to put her foot in her mouth at some point, she was trying so hard not to be the kid in the group, and here she was, being an obnoxious brat —

"Okay." Evelynn's calm voice interrupts her thoughts before they can continue careening off the rails. "Yes. It can get a bit much sometimes, when you get excited about something. And I don't always want to hear it without being asked if I'm thinking about anything else were working on anything else, and you just come barging in and barreling through like you forgot that we all have lives besides whatever you're currently obsessed with."

"But," she interrupts before Akali can even open her mouth, although Akali opens her mouth anyway even if she's already been cut off from speaking, "you already apologized, didn't you. And I said it's okay. You only have to apologize once." The hand in her hair falls to her back, rubbing her back and shoulder in reassuring circles. "Do I make myself clear."

Akali shuts her mouth again, and stares at the bedspread in front of her, thinking, and not saying anything. Evelynn lets her think.

"… Okay."

It worries Evelynn that that sounds like defeat, but if she's asking Akali to trust her, she'll trust Akali not to say it's okay unless it actually is right now.

"Good," Evelynn confirms.

They both let Akali stay in her lap a few more seconds, before she unfolds herself and stands, not looking back at Evelyn as she walks to the door. "Um. Yeah. Okay." In response to her muttering Evelynn smiles softly at the back of her head.

"Anything else dear?" Akali shakes her head, aware she's being watched.

"No. That's it.… Thanks."

"Any time, darling," Evelynn airily dismisses her again, and stretches languidly before getting up and returning to her vanity. There is only so long she can ignore the fact that she had only finished painting one hand, and she hopes Akali appreciates the sacrifices she made to take care of her. She wouldn't abandon beauty for just anyone. 

In the hall, Akali heads downstairs, unsurprised to see Ahri still in the kitchen, leaning over the island countertop with her head in her hands to watch Akali come downstairs as if she had been waiting for her, because that's exactly what she's been doing.

"So, how'd it go," Ahri prompts in her cajoling singsong way, and for the second time Akali rolls her eyes at one of her bandmates. "I know you can hear everything in this house, foxy." Ahri grins that self-satisfied grin, and Akali smiles with one side of her face.

"Okay, you were right, are you happy."

"Yes," Ahri doesn't hesitate to admit. The look in her eyes softens from teasing to loving. "I'm just…" She shrugs her shoulder. Akali gets it though, and her own smile spreads. "Yeah. I know. You're such a band mom."

Ahri laughs. "But I'm your band mom!" 

"Ok mom, what'd you make us for dinner." 

Akali laughs at the indignant squeaky noise Ahri makes, and feels like maybe the tension she'd been imagining all day actually was gone. It's a good feeling.


End file.
